Electrical indicator for elevators



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ELECTRICAL INDICATOR FOB ELEVATORS. No. 502,315. Patented Aug. 1, 1893.

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ELEGTRIGALINDIGATOR FOR ELEVATORS. No. 502,315. Patented Aug. 1, 1893.

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Wilma/sow 1o S am UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE EDGETT PEIROE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRICALlNDlCATOR FOR ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,315, dated August1, 1893.

Application filed July 5, 1892- Scrial No. 438,960. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EUGENE Enenrr PEIRCE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Boston, countyof Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electrical Indicators for Elevators, of which thefollowing is a specification. My invention relates to means for operat-1ng electrical indicators which indicate the position of an elevatorwith reference to the several floors of a building through a mechanlsmintermittently actuated by an electric current which is interruptedduring the progressive movement of the elevator, and in order to enableothers skilled in the art to which my invention appertains, tounderstand and use the same, I will proceed to describe the details ofits construction, explain its operation and subsequently point out inthe appended claims its novel characteristics.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which similar characters ofreference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:Figure 1, is a sectional elevation through the floors of a buildingshowing the elevator car and the open shaft for its passage, anddiagrammatically illustrating one form of the electrical apparatus andits connections. Fig. 2, is an enlarged front sectional elevation of oneof the indicators in Fig. 1 showing the actuating mechanism therein.Fig. 3, is an enlarged end View illustrating in detail one suitable formof automatic current switch adapted to Fig. 1; and Fig. 4:, a sideelevation of Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is a sectional elevation of the elevator,the several floors of a building, and an indicating device, illustratinga modified application of my invention; and Fig. 6, is an enlargeddetail view partly in section of one of the indicators in Fig. 5.

My invention consists in an interrupting device for the current, havingits contactmaking surfaces composed of insulated plates distributedalong the shaft B,for the passage of the elevator in a permanently fixedrelation to the movements of the car A, and a contact-1naking device 8,directly attached to the car. The plates may be variously arranged. InFig. 1, they are employed in two series 6, 6, 6, and 7, 7, 7,independently electrically connected, and means are provided forautomatically including or cutting out one or the other of said seriesof plates from circuit according to the direction of motion of the car.Electrical connections are established between the separate series ofplates 6 and 7 and the opposed systems of actuating mechanism in theindicators 5, 5, 5, Whereby when the one or the other of said series areincluded in circuit, the indicating mechanism will be actuatedcorrespondingly to the direction of motion of the car.

1, 2, 3, 4:, represent the several floors of a building through whichextends the vertical shaft or passage way B, for the car A.

5, 5, 5, represent the indicating dials located at each floor inasuitable visible position,bearing numbers corresponding to the numbersof the floors.

The mechanism within each indicator of Fig. 1, which is illustrated inFig. 2, consists as follows:

20, 21, are ratchet wheels fixed to the index shaft 28, provided attheir peripheries with oppositely disposed teeth.

22, 24, are the actuating pawls pertaining to the said respectiveratchet wheels 20, 21; and 25, 26, the respective retaining pawls. Thepawls which oppose each other are alternately thrown into or out ofaction by means of the electro-magnets as follows:-D is the actuatingelectro-magnet for moving the index when the car ascends, by actuatingthe pawl 22 and ratchet 21; and E is the actuating electro-magnet formoving the index in the reverse direction when the car descends, byactuating the pawl 2e and ratchet 20. The electro-magnet D when includedin circuit throws the retaining pawl 26 of the ratchet 20 into aninactive position when the electro-magnet D is included to actuate theratchet 21, and the electro-magnet E when included in circuit throws thepawl 25 of the ratchet 21 into an inactive position when theelectromagnet E is included in circuit to actuate the ratchet 20. Theelectro-magnet D when included in circuit withdraws the actuating pawl24 from interference when the electromagnet D is to be operated, whilethe electromagnet E when included correspondingly withdraws theactuating pawl 22 from interference when the electro-magnet E is to beoperated.

The circuit wires 40, 41. include the electro-magnets D, D D which movethe indicator to indicate the ascent of the car, and the circuit wires50, 51, include the electromagnets E, E E", which move the indicator toindicate the descent of the car.

In Fig. 1, 31, represents the main line of the circuit including abattery 30, orother source of energy, connecting at one end to thecontact 17 of the switch 11, and at the other end to the circuitbranches 40, 41, and 50, 51, and to the contact-making device on theelevator through the wire 10, a part of which latter is flexiblysuspended from the car as indicated, or connected through a suitablesliding contact, or otherwise permanently connected with said contact 8irrespective of the movements of the car.

The contact-making device 8, as represented, is composed of a contactroller maintained against the plates 6 and 7, by means of a suitablespring 9.

The switch 11 may be constructed in any suitable or well known formadapted to establish a connection of the main line 30 alternately withthe branches 40, 41, or with the branches 50, 51, automatically,according to the direction of motion of the carA. I illustrate aconstruction, shown more fully in detail in Figs. 3 and 4, whichconsists in a split collar 11, upon the shaft 12, adapted to be moved byfrictional engagement therewith, according to the direction of rotationof such shaft, closing the circuit through contacts F, F, and wires 50,51,. when the car ascends, or closing the circuits through the contactsG, G, and wires 40, 41, when the car-descends. The contact 17 of themain line 31 bears permanently upon the shaft 12, electrically connectedto the switch arm 11.

The number of interrupting contact plates 6, 6, or 7, 7, of theinterrupter between each floor is to be determined according to thenumber of teeth on the ratchet wheels 20, 21, corresponding to theintended movement of the index hand for each floor.

The operation of the device shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, is asfollows:When the car A ascends, the switch 11 will close the circuitfrom the battery 30 and main line 31, through the branches 40, 41,thence through the system of electro-magnets D, D D actuating theratchet wheel 21, as hereinbefore described to give the correspondingindication. The current through wire 41 sensitizes the magnets D D, soas to retract the pawls 24, 26, and then returns to battery through line31. The current simultaneously passing through wire 40, sensitizes themagnet D, actuating the pawl 22 and ratchet 21, and thence passes to thecontact plates 6 of the interrupter to the contact-making device 8, andthrough wire 10 to battery. When the car A descends, the switch 11 willclose the circuit from the battery 30 and main line 31 through thebranches 50, 51, thence through the system of electro-magnets E,E E,actuating the ratchet wheel 20, to give the indication correspondingthereto. The current through the wire 51 sensitizes the magnets E E soas to retract the pawls 22, 25, and thence returns to battery throughline 31. The current simultaneously passing through wire 50, sensitizesthe magnet E, actuating the pawl 24 and ratchet wheel 20, and thencepasses to the contact plates 7, of the interrupter to the contact-makingdevice 8 and through wire 10 to battery.

It will be obvious that the series of plates 6, 6, 6, &c., may bealigned in one successive series while the plates 7, 7, 7, &c., may beplaced in another successive series; the two series lying side by side;a double contactmaking device 8 being provided to act thereon.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, the interrupting device for the currentis composed of a single series of insulated contact plates 6, 6, 6,distributed along the shaft B of the elevator in a permanently fixedrelation to the movements of the car A. The contact-makin g device 8directly attached to the car is constructed as hereinbefore describedwith reference to Fig. 1. The indicators 5 are constructed as fullyillustrated in Fig. 6. The electro-magnets 60, 61, 62, have movablearmatures 63 mechanically connected to raise the disks 64 into a visibleposition opposite the opening 65 when the magnets are sensitized; thesaid disk at other times dropping into a position of concealment. Eachof the contact plates 6, 6, 6, pertaining to the several floors 1, 2, 3,are independently electrically connected to correspondingelectro-magnets 60, 61, 62 through wires 66, 67, 68, in the mannerindicated, so that while the car A moves with its contact-making device8 upon the plates 6, 6, 6, in succession, each electro-magnet will beconsecutively included in circuit and. raise the disks 64 into viewsuccessively according to the motions of the car with reference to therespective floors. The several wires 66, 67, 68, pass from theelectro-magnets to a common line 70, and thence through battery 30 andflexible wire 10 to contact-making device 8.

The feature which is common to Figs. 1, and 5, consists in that eachinsulated plate constituting the interrupting device in the passage ofthe elevator is so electrically connected to the indicating mechanism asto impart one unit of motion thereto corresponding to the passage of thecontact-making device 8 over each successive plate.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with an elevator, and an indicating device forindicating the position of said elevator, of two electro-magnets or twoseries of electro-magnets, and mechanism operated by one of thesemagnets for IIO actuating the indicator in one direction, and operatedby the other electro-magnet for actuating the indicator in the oppositedirection, means for automatically including the one or the other suchelectro-magnet or series thereof in circuit according to the directionof motion of the car, and an interrupting device composed of a series ofinsulated plates in the passage of the car, and a contact-making deviceattached to and movable with the car, all substantially as and for thepurposes herein described.

2. The combination with an elevator and an indicating device forindicating the position of said elevator of two electro-magnets or twoseries of electro-magnets and mechanism operated by one of these magnetsfor actuating the indicator in one direction and operated by the otherelectro-magnet for actuating the indicator in the opposite direction, acircuit interrupting device consisting in two series of insulatedcontact making plates in the passage of the car, a main electric circuitand branches thereof independently including the said twoelectro-magnets or series thereof and independently connected to thesaid two series of contact plates, and means for automatically includingone or the other said branches in circuit according to the direction ofmotion of the car.

3. The combination with an elevator, and an indicating device forindicating the position of said elevator, of two electro-magnets orseries thereof, and means for including antomatically the one or theother such electromagnets or series thereof in circuit according to thedirection of motion of the car, two opposed pawl and ratchet mechanismsconnected to the index of the indicator respectively operated by saidtwo electro-magnets or series thereof effecting a practically continuousmotion, and a current interrupter operated by the car producing aplurality of interruptions during the travel of said car from one floorto either adjacent floor.

EUGENE EDGETT PEIROE.

Witnesses:

HERBERT F. TAYLOR, FREDERICK N. W ALES.

